Museum Prambanan, Silent Story of Restoration

**Tourist** · 17-01-2012, 15:07

Have you ever go to Candi Prambanan? It's the biggest Hinduism temple southern Southeast Asia, very huge and complex building. Billions tons of square black rock built the candi. Scientists said that the area southern Candi Prambanan used to be park of candi. The artist built candi not just as an honor for their king, but also an art masterwork. Do you know that at the first time Candi Prambanan founded just only a mass of rock? Nobody care and aware about it, covered hundreds years by volcano ashes, being a good place for grass and moss live on. Until a Dutch archeology found it in in 1773, his name is C.A. Lons.

After Lons, some Dutch archeologists ran the project, as Jan Willem Ijzerman, Isaac Groneman and Theodoor van Erp. You can see their heroic stories restoration on the Prambanan Museum. At the first time, they had no idea with the rock, until P.J. Perquin, an archeologist of Nederland Archeology Authority, coming with his new methods and system. It's a long project. Until 80's the restoration was ran by funding from Japan Government. A large model of Candi Prambanan site plan is putted on the corridor. You can see how complex the restoration was ran.

Prambanan Museum has 2 pendopo, guest room in Javanese house, on the middle of the museum. First pendopo is set by gamelan inside, the second is empty, and you can see some bamboo uphold the wood
structure to keep it stand on. At the west wing, there're tens of artifacts of candi, from manuscript, head of god and goddess, golden jewels, panels, etc. On the front yard, human rock sculptures are posed in variety positions, such as sit, dance, pray, ride, etc. Some of them look strange, because their face are flat, has no eye and nose.

In the east wing, the collection is focused on restoration of the candi. You can see photos of the archeologists with their white uniform and round hat, looks like awesome! The scene of the exhibition tells the visitors how to restoration the candi isn't an easy project, need lot of energy, time and money. Some sketches are displaying on the wall, contained the part to restoration candi for a year. One part of a candi needs a year to restoration! So, if you see 47 meters of Candi Prambanan, imagine how long to built the building. Some difficult techniques and methods are described on the graphic and photo display.

The last part of Prambanan Museum is audio visual room. In the room, you can watch movie about Candi Prambanan in a short scene, perhaps 15-20 minutes, tell short history of the candi, from the first founded by Dutch archeologist, set up as World Heritage Building by UNESCO until the restoration in 80's. It's easy to reach Prambanan Museum, follow the direction in the Candi Prambanan complex, to the north of the candi.

MUSEUM PRAMBANAN
Address.
Jalan Jogja-Solo Km. 16 Prambanan, Yogyakarta 55282, Indonesia.
Phone. +62 274 496402
Opening Hours.
Monday - Sunday at 6.00 am - 5.00 pm.
Entrance Ticket.
Included with Prambanan temple entrance ticket.

Source: tourjogja.com

photos: cepolina.com

photo: indonesia.travel